Our Six Month Anniversary!

A six month wedding anniversary is a very big event to a newlywed, so imagine my dismay when Max gently informed a couple months ago that he had realized we would be swindled out of our special day as there is no February 29th this year : (

Never fear: I have added a day to our calendar this month and tomorrow will officially be February 29th. Well, officially in our house ; )

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Officially Entering Escrow!!!

It's happening! It's really happening! After finding our dream home in early January (at a steal of a price since it's selling as a "short sale") and putting in an offer over a month ago, we finally got both bank and seller acceptance today! This means we're entering escrow and our 10-day inspection period! The home is located in "Happy Valley Ranch" (how cute is that name?) in North Scottsdale. It's in a top school district (the same one in which I'm currently teaching) and close to my current school and Max's work. With five rooms and a lot size of almost an acre, there's plenty of space to grow. To say we're thrilled would be an understatement!

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Andrews, Ahlems and Arizona!

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January saw first visits from our good friends the Andrews and the Ahlems who both traveled from California with their little girls! We so enjoyed seeing everyone!

Miss Addison was our very first wee little one at the house, ever:

We just loved taking her in the backyard to pick oranges:

And look at the pool:

And happy here back with mom and dad:

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From Room 407!

It's been two full weeks and two full days since I started my new Kinder position and I couldn't be happier! Kindergarten is truly its own world, and watching my new little peanuts as they learn each day is simply amazing. Amazing, and a little exhausting: I came home from our Valentine's Day celebration on Friday and fell asleep at 6pm!

And while my students have learned my name ("Mrs. Kleins" is close enough!) I have, on multiple occasions, reverted back to my old name and status: Miss Baldini. After four year of saying things like: "Miss Baldini is waiting for students who are sitting criss-cross" and "Miss Baldini is so proud of you for being on task", it was hard to switch to: "Great job Mrs. Klein's class." So the "Miss Baldini" phrases slipped out, which were followed by utter confusion: "Who is Miss Baldini?", "I want to meet Miss Baldini!", "I don't see Miss Baldini!" Whew! I then had to (try to) explain that I have a new name and an old name, and sometimes I forget (more confusion on their part). To top it off I even accidentally called my new class "Room Q" (my old class name) which is especially funny as my little ones haven't even officially learned this letter yet!

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Coyotes Hockey!

Back in January, one of my old friends from grade school, Krissy, and her boyfriend Mike invited Max and me to our first Phoenix hockey game! The Coyotes played the New York Islanders and were behind most of the game but tied it up in the last period resulting in overtime and then a five round shoot-out! They definitely put up a good fight but lost in the end. Thank you Mike and Krissy!

All of us before the game:

Last night, Max and I went to another game on our own with tickets I had given Max back at Christmastime. I chose a game against the Dallas Stars in honor of Max's hometown:

Our seats for this game were just three rows up from the ice (note the nice photo above!). I was enjoying this great view when, just two minutes in, the first player was body-slammed into the glass panel right in front of us. I don't know if it was the sound or the surprise, but I definitely let out a scream that was luckily somewhat muffled by the pounding on the glass. Max assured me that really, it was okay that the glass was bending like it was and that that "give" was making it safer for us. I was still skeptical as I am not used to glass folding or bending at all, especially not toward me.

Just a couple more minutes into the game, Petr Prucha, one of the Coyotes players, was slammed into a panel just to our right and was instantly knocked out. He was carried off the ice in a stretcher (very scary but the current reports say he was released from the hospital okay). Max said that serious injuries like that cause lots of tension between the teams, and true to his prediction two big fist fights followed in the first period alone! Gloves and helmets were thrown aside and I spent a good amount of time with my head in Max's shoulder only half peeking out. What was just crazy for me (besides the referees just standing and letting it happen) was the cheering crowd. One man said it was an "old school" game.

More fighting in the third period:

Alas, the game was a shutout with the Stars winning 3-0 (my husband I know was secretly glad). Smiles from the ice!

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